Being successful in a job interview for a non-native speaker requires practice. Give them this great role play handout, where students play interviewer and interviewee for a translation job.

1. Copy one handout for each student, with half A handouts and the other half Bs.

2. Put the students into pairs with an A and B student, and distribute the handouts.

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions and make sure students aren't looking at each other's sheets. Allow students the reading time to prepare themselves for the interview.

4. Explain that the students are about to do a job interview. Tell students that one person is the interviewer while the other is the interviewee. Students should read their roles and conduct the interview as best they can.

6. For extra practice, and for a chance for students to play both roles, swap the interviewer and interviewee roles.

1. Copy one handout for each student, with half A handouts and the other half Bs.

2. Put the students into pairs with an A and B student, and distribute the handouts.

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions and make sure students aren't looking at each other's sheets. Allow students the reading time to prepare themselves for the interview.

4. Explain that the students are about to do a job interview. Tell students that one person is the interviewer while the other is the interviewee. Students should read their roles and conduct the interview as best they can.

6. For extra practice, and for a chance for students to play both roles, swap the interviewer and interviewee roles.

Type:

A pair work activity

Skill:

Speaking

Time:

15 minutes

Stage:

Lead-in/Extended speaking task

Work:

Students work in pairs

Focus:

Acronyms

For a business-focussed practice on pronouncing and describing acronyms use this great pair work handout where students have to describe the meaning behind acronyms using defining relative pronouns.

1. Copy one handout for each pair of students, and cut the sheets in two.

2. Put the students into pairs, and distribute a half sheet to each individual student.

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students explain the functions and roles of different acronyms to their partner. Students mustn't say the name of the acronym. Their partner guesses.

4. Allow students around fifteen minutes to find out the acronyms.

5. Finally, elicit responses from some of the students and draw to their attention any appropriate vocabulary or serious language mistakes.

1. Copy one handout for each pair of students, and cut the sheets in two.

2. Put the students into pairs, and distribute a half sheet to each individual student.

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students explain the functions and roles of different acronyms to their partner. Students mustn't say the name of the acronym. Their partner guesses.

4. Allow students around fifteen minutes to find out the acronyms.

5. Finally, elicit responses from some of the students and draw to their attention any appropriate vocabulary or serious language mistakes.

Type:

A pair work activity

Skill:

Speaking

Time:

15 minutes

Stage:

Vocabulary speaking practice

Work:

Students work in pairs

Focus:

Adjectives to Describe the Future

The future for companies and individuals can be rosy, promising and bleak. This great speaking activity gets students using a plethora of future adjectives by predicting the business future for a number of companies and famous business people.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student.

2. Put the students into pairs, and give out the handouts one between two (give out the remaining handouts after the activity to ensure better pair work).

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions and provide students with examples using the key language and the adjectives to encourage students to speak.

5. Make sure now every student has a copy of the sheet, and elicit responses from some of the students and draw to their attention any appropriate vocabulary or serious language mistakes.

Type:

An individual writing task

Skill:

Writing

Time:

15 minutes

Stage:

Controlled grammar writing practice

Work:

Students work individually

Focus:

Adverb Intensifiers

If you're looking for language practice of intensifying adverbs try this business report writing worksheet. Students examine the figures for the insurer AIG from Autumn 2008 and write a short report using intensifying adverbs.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students read the short financial profile of AIG from Autumn 2008. From the information given, students complete a short financial profile incorporating as many intensifying adverb phrases as they can.

3. Monitor the students, and when appropriate provide any necessary individual language or vocabulary input.

4. For feedback, there are a number of options including students writing some/all of the answers on the board, students orally contributing their answers, and collecting and marking the work etc.

5. Draw the students' attention to any specific mistakes which seem prevalent through the work and offer language input.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Focus students' attention on the instructions. Students read the short financial profile of AIG from Autumn 2008. From the information given, students complete a short financial profile incorporating as many intensifying adverb phrases as they can.

3. Monitor the students, and when appropriate provide any necessary individual language or vocabulary input.

4. For feedback, there are a number of options including students writing some/all of the answers on the board, students orally contributing their answers, and collecting and marking the work etc.

5. Draw the students' attention to any specific mistakes which seem prevalent through the work and offer language input.

Type:

A presentation activity

Skill:

Speaking

Time:

40 minutes

Stage:

Business skills practice

Work:

Students work individually then as a whole group

Focus:

Advertising Countries

A sprakling presentation task this where students get the opportunity to present the marketing campaigns of various South East Asian countries or those of their choice.

1. Copy one sheet for each individual student and distribute them.

2. The presentations can be done individually, in pairs or in small groups.First, students read the example captions from South East Asia. Get students as a lead-in to discuss the connotations of each slogan.

3. Next, the students read through the task instructions. Clarify the nature of the task and allocate a given amount of preparation which can be done both in lesson and/or as homework. Encourage students to address the bullet points in their presentations.

4. Select the running order for the presentations, give them a time limit and let the students get on with it. Encourage the listening students to ask questions and give feedback.

1. Copy one sheet for each individual student and distribute them.

2. The presentations can be done individually, in pairs or in small groups.First, students read the example captions from South East Asia. Get students as a lead-in to discuss the connotations of each slogan.

3. Next, the students read through the task instructions. Clarify the nature of the task and allocate a given amount of preparation which can be done both in lesson and/or as homework. Encourage students to address the bullet points in their presentations.

4. Select the running order for the presentations, give them a time limit and let the students get on with it. Encourage the listening students to ask questions and give feedback.

Type:

A pair work activity

Skill:

Speaking

Time:

15 minutes

Stage:

Lead-in/Extended speaking task

Work:

Students work in pairs

Focus:

Advertising Slogans

This handout tasks students to identify the companies behind fourteen well-known advertising slogans. Once students have identified them, they analyse the nature and effectiveness of the slogans in an interesting debate.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student.

2. Put the students into pairs, and hand out the worksheets one between two (give out the remaining handouts after the activity to ensure better pair work).

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions and the company slogans. Students should identify the fourteen companies behind the advertising slogans with their partner.

5. Make sure now every student has a copy of the sheet, and elicit responses from some of the students and tell them the answers.

6. Next, get students to discuss the meanings and connotations of the company slogans. Students should write brief notes on the lines 1-14.

Type:

A pair work activity

Skill:

Speaking

Time:

20 minutes

Stage:

Vocabulary speaking practice

Work:

Students work in pairs

Focus:

Advertising Vocabulary

For the budding advertisers amongst your students, give them this; a thorough look at advertising vocabulary featuring an eclectic range of tasks and phrases such as launch a campaign, product placement, and sponsorship.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Put students into pairs. Students work through each section with their partner concentrating on using the vocabulary. Ideally, check the answers from each section at each time.

4. Finally, elicit responses from some of the students and draw to their attention any appropriate vocabulary or serious language mistakes.

Type:

A meaning from context reading activity

Skill:

Reading

Time:

10 minutes

Stage:

Reading

Work:

Students work individually

Focus:

Air Rage

Air rage is becoming increasingly common as we fly more. Avoid any rage or stress with the raft of challenging words in this text with this helpful 'meaning from context' vocabulary handout.

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Get students to do a gist reading task, usually contained in the book, although you may want to set your own task.

3. When students have a basic idea of the content of the text get them to read it in more detail with this accompanying worksheet. Students read the text and choose the correct meaning of the words on the handout a or b.

4. For feedback, get students to tell you the correct meaning of the words, a or b.

5. You may want to continue now with the reading task set in the book, or the grammar that comes from the reading if there is any. To see if your students can remember the words why not get them to cover them up and recall the meanings from memory?

1. Copy one handout for each individual student and distribute them.

2. Get students to do a gist reading task, usually contained in the book, although you may want to set your own task.

3. When students have a basic idea of the content of the text get them to read it in more detail with this accompanying worksheet. Students read the text and choose the correct meaning of the words on the handout a or b.

4. For feedback, get students to tell you the correct meaning of the words, a or b.

5. You may want to continue now with the reading task set in the book, or the grammar that comes from the reading if there is any. To see if your students can remember the words why not get them to cover them up and recall the meanings from memory?

Type:

A pair work activity

Skill:

Speaking

Time:

20 minutes

Stage:

Controlled grammar speaking practice

Work:

Students work in pairs

Focus:

Articles

Business people will need accurate articles in their working lives, so enhance their correctness with this speaking pair work handout designed for them to insert articles in article-less sentences.

1. Copy one sheet per pair of students, and cut the sheets up into A and B.

2. Put the students into pairs with an A and B student, and distribute the worksheets.

3. Focus students' attention on the instructions and make sure students aren't looking at each other's sheets.

4. Allow students the time necessary (around 20 minutes) to read the sentences and correct the errors together.